Chapter 239 – Wielding the Ruling Blade to Uphold Chivalry, And So the Great Battle Begins - Part 2
Tang Nian yelped, rubbing the sore spot. “Ow, Pops! Ugh, that hurts!”
He shot her a look. “You’re playing it up.”
“I’m not...I mean, it really hurts,” she whined. “Come on, rub it for me?”
Li Yuan relented and tousled her hair.
That left Tang Nian momentarily speechless. Glancing shyly at him, she gave a faint smile. “All right, all right, I get it. I’ll keep my short hair and my white clothes, and I won’t go down a dark path when I’m on Cloudpeak Province. Satisfied?”
Li Yuan pondered for a moment, then added another reminder. “And if, at some point, you meet someone you like—if you fall in love—tell me. I’ll get someone else to take over for you, and you can leave. But remember that leaving doesn’t mean severing our bond. You’ll always be welcome to come home.”
Tang Nian was already 20 years old—about the age many young women would be married with children. Li Yuan wanted to be sure she didn’t bury herself in the underworld only to have love come knocking later, sparking some tragic drama that destroyed everything. He’d seen enough similar plots in his former life on television—the villain’s daughter would fall for the hero, secretly aid him, and eventually betray her own father for a nobler cause.
With this in mind, he added carefully, “If you need money or resources for romance, come talk to me. Don’t do anything rash or try something shady. And if you’re hurting inside...don’t let some random guy’s smile be all it takes to heal you.”
Tang Nian rolled her eyes at Li Yuan and clutched her head in mock alarm. “Healed by some guy’s smile? Pops, do you really think I’m that dumb?”
“I’m being serious here,” Li Yuan said.
“All right, all right, I get it,” she muttered with exasperation.
Then, as if something dawned on her, Tang Nian leaned in. “Wait, you’re not trying to pressure me into marriage, are you?”